


Theseus Gone Home

by Stella_Gray



Series: The World King Minos Ruled [1]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Brothers, Character Death, Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, No Romance, Sign Language, Violence, except the family is falling out, l'manburg, mute character, my take on dream smp, sbi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:16:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28825077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stella_Gray/pseuds/Stella_Gray
Summary: Haunted by his fragmented past and desperation to reclaim what once was, Tommy seeks to reunite with his lost family despite being hunted by the masked eyes of a false friend determined to cage him and the polished blade of a shapeshifting butcher possessed by a deceased dictator.But when Tommy is told of a long forgotten secret he refuses to accept, the world is suddenly flipped and only one goal crosses his mind: kill Dream.
Relationships: Alexis | Quackity & Jschlatt, Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Technoblade & Phil Watson, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit & Technoblade, Wilbur Soot & Technoblade & TommyInnit & Phil Watson
Series: The World King Minos Ruled [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2113461
Comments: 7
Kudos: 83





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> PLEASE READ!!  
> The characters in this fanfiction are NOT based on the actual people behind DreamSMP but the characters they play. Also, the events in this work start canon, but will slowly divulge and become non-canon. That being said, I'm having A LOT of fun writing this and it's helping me get my productivity back. Enjoy! Updates will be weekly!

The grass of Logstedshire was soft beneath Tommy’s back as he looked up at the stars, coal smeared over his face and bandaged hands teeming with blisters. For some strange reason, the lingering fear of his one true friend’s masked face was no longer present. Instead, he only felt the small amount of warmth radiating from next to him. From Wilbur. From one of the two people he considered a brother, no matter their crimes. 

Wilbur hummed from beside him, the song of L’Manburg dancing from his lips. That was a song he hadn’t heard in some time. Tommy smiled at the sound of it, twiddling his bruised fingers through the dandelions twisted into the grass. 

“You know,” Tommy began, voice barely above a whisper, afraid the song of L’Manburg would fade away if he was too loud, “I never stopped thinking about home. Not once.” 

Wilbur chuckled, “I don’t doubt it, Tommy.” 

“I’m going to go back one day.” 

Wilbur stopped humming and shifted in the grass, turning to look at him, “But, Tommy, you’re-”

“Exiled,” Tommy said, “I know.” 

Wilbur laid back down, but didn’t resume his humming. They lay in silence for some while, simply staring at the stars, wallowing in their lost moments. For a time the silence was a comfort, but soon it began to remind Tommy of when he’d been left here alone with the only reassurance of company being the promise that his only friend would come visit. 

“Why don’t we listen to some music,” Tommy suggested, getting up and returning to his tent. 

From a small chest, he took out one of his prized music discs and set it on his record player, calmed by the static noise which preceded the chime of a familiar song. Though not a good kind of familiar. 

Wilbur sat up in the grass and faced the record player, a sympathetic look on his face. This wasn’t the music Tommy had intended to play. He wanted an upbeat rhythm. He expected a fond tune. The music that poured from the record player was neither, instead a dark, foreboding, solemn song; one that mirrored the song of L’Manburg. 

Each note was slightly off tune, a reminder of the bloodshed. The tempo slowly decreased, a reminder of the betrayal. The song began to morph, a reminder of the red sky painted with pieces of L’Manburg. 

Tommy tried to stop the record player, but even as the needle was removed it wouldn’t cease. He panicked, then, moments of a buried past once shoved down rising up, unwanted. Wilbur started toward him then. Fear washing over him, Tommy brought his fists down over the disc, desperate for the sound to go away. He banged down on the record player until even the box was shattered into pieces, but the music persisted along with his memories, playing over and over.

“It won’t stop,” Tommy cried, “It won’t stop, I swear. It won’t go away.” 

He curled down onto the floor, sitting among the broken disc fragments. 

“No, Tommy,” Wilbur said, “It won’t ever go away. None of it. Not L’Manburg, not Logstedshire. Not even Dream.”

Tommy whimpered. 

“You’ve got to find them,” Wilbur gripped Tommy’s shoulder, “Home never lasts. Old friends will only betray you. But, Tommy, family is forever.” 

Tommy peered up at Wilbur from below his overgrown bangs as the visions of the death of L’Manburg ran circles behind his eyes. Techno and Phil. They were out there. But Wilbur. Where was Wilbur?

“Go find them, Tommy,” Wilbur said. 

Wilbur was dead. 

Desperate for the music to stop- to finally stop- he sprang from Wilbur’s grasp and ran from his tent. He left his dead brother in the memories of L’Manburg, buried with the neverending music. His shack of a house was just in front of him and the broken record player was far behind by now, but the music was still ringing in his ears. Unable to bear the sound anymore, Tommy grabbed a heap of rope from a chest in his house and ran to the nearest tree, tying a noose on the way. 

He climbed as high as he could, so high that he couldn’t any longer. He tied the end of the rope around a branch and fastened the noose around his neck. In and out, in and out he breathed, the music of his dead brother and destroyed home fastened to his eyelids. To be free from it, oh to be free! That was all he wanted. 

But Dream, his only remaining friend, would be back soon. Dream would see his body swinging in the wind. Dream, who cared for him so. 

“It’s not like they want you, Tommy,” Dream would tell him. 

“Think about what you did, Tommy,” Dream would tell him. 

“I thought I was your friend, Tommy,” Dream would tell him. 

No. Dream was no friend of his. Dream never cared about him. Dream separated him from the people who really wanted him. He made his friends betray him. He cast his remaining family out. 

The visions of L’Manburg flew from his mind. Now it was only Dream. Dream who promised him companionship. Dream who promised him care. Dream who never once showed him his face. That plain white mask burned into Tommy’s head as his fingers squeezed over the rope. 

Jump, Tommy, jump. But Dream was out there and he’d hurt his family. Jump, Tommy, jump. But L’Manburg was out there and Tommy missed it so horribly. Jump, Tommy, jump. But his voice wanted to say so much despite being caught in the back of his throat. Jump, Tommy, jump. But he didn’t. 

Tommy screamed.


	2. I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to post the next chapter a bit early because I have some free time now. I've pretty much got the whole series planned out now and am looking forward to writing more.

Tommy woke with a fright, the buzzing of bees swarming over his head. Logstedshire was far behind him now and the chill of the mountains began to set in. He was so tired from his weeks of traveling that he hadn’t even noticed he’d settled in for the night under a giant bees’ nest. His shoulder bumped into the trunk of the tree as he pushed himself upright and the bees buzzed slightly louder, a warning to leave their home. 

Last night’s dream already gone from his mind, Tommy checked that his knife was still safe in its sheath before setting off through the woods. The mountains were ahead of him and the climb was sure to be dangerous. 

Tommy barely remembered the way back to L’Manburg. He only knew that it was east. He had his compass to thank for that. Attachments aside, it was a shame it was lost in the explosion Dream set off in Logstedshire. The compass could be showing him the way now, assuming the person it pointed to was still sitting on his throne in the White Manor atop L’Manburg. 

Without a jacket to keep him warm, the chill air blowing over the mountains began to settle into Tommy’s skin. As he looked up at the mountains which separated Logstedshire from L’Manburg, he noticed that there was no path through them. Giving a sigh followed by a shiver, he began to feel his way through the snow and start up the steep mountain side. 

The wind picked up the higher he got and the rocks grew icy. The makeshift path he’d made for himself was thinning and the only way to get to the top was by passing over a thin slip of rock that twisted around the side of the mountain. If he remembered correctly from when he’d travelled through here with Dream, the other side of the mountains was much less steep and even had the remainder of an old path leading down. 

Slowly, sliding his feet along the side of the mountain, Tommy made his way around. About halfway through the wind blew by him and he could practically feel his skin turn into ice. His arms were exposed to the steady snow and as he tried to push forward, his feet slipped out from under him. 

With a shout, he shuffled his feet on the ice, clinging onto the rock behind him. He was lucky to regain his footing. 

The other side of the mountain was just within view and Tommy practically crawled his way there. The cold was seeping into his bones now and he couldn’t feel his hands and feet. As he finally climbed over the top, he tumbled forward, hand missing its perch. With a halfhearted squawk, he toppled down the side of the mountain, arms flailing in search for anything to grab onto. He only caught snow. 

His back hit a flat perch and the air knocked out of him. He couldn’t breath. He was numb. He tried to move his legs, but he couldn’t feel them. 

Techno’s cabin was just a ways away. He was so close to him that he could feel it. It’d been so long since he last saw his brother. Now he feared he wouldn’t make it. And Dream. Dream had to be looking for him by now. He must know Tommy had run away. 

With a few brief moments of rest, Tommy finally pushed himself up, his breath his only warmth. He looked out at the snowy land beyond him, hoping he could spot Techno’s cabin from where he sat. Instead, he spotted a small light from the corner of his eye. It was a cave. 

“Yes,” Tommy smiled, “yes!”

He pulled himself into the cave a short distance away where the remnants of a fire sparkled with life. Tommy threw himself beside it and basked in its warmth. The feeling slowly returned to his body. 

Tommy turned his head to the fire, “I wonder who set you up?” 

Whoever camped here couldn’t be far. He only hoped it wasn’t Dream. 

. . . 

Wilbur’s jacket was the only thing Philza had to remember the boy by. He’d taken the boy in as his own, seen him as something of a son. Every morning when he woke, he was reminded of that day. The day L’Manburg fell. The day Wilbur begged to be killed by his hand. 

And he’d done it. What kind of father would kill his own son? He had to remind himself that Wilbur wasn't really his blood. It was the only thought that kept him sane. Yet Wilbur’s blood refused to leave his hands. 

There was a knock at his door that evening when he wasn’t expecting any guests. Lazily turning his eyes to the front of the house, Philza opened the door. 

“Phil! I was hoping to talk to you.”

Alex stood at his door for no longer than a second before pushing his way into Philza’s house. He was never up to any good and constantly walked around L’Manburg as if he still had any power over it. That was long ago and it appeared that he hadn’t moved on. Though the more Philza thought about it, he couldn’t think of one person who had. 

Closing the door, Philza gave in to Alex’s intentions, “What is it?”

“I’m looking for someone,” Alex said, “and I think you know where he is.” 

Philza stayed by the door as if his body was enough to block Alex from leaving. He knew what Alex wanted. There was only one person Alex could be asking him about. Wilbur was dead and Tommy was exiled. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Philza feigned ignorance. 

Alex laughed, “Don’t play dumb with me, Phil. The whole of L’Manburg knows that you and Techno are close. So where is he?”

Philza frowned. He did know where Techno was. His cabin lay in the heart of the mountains, far from L’Manburg’s reach. He was far from government and far from harm. That’s where Philza liked him to stay. 

He scoffed, rubbing at his tired eyes, “I don’t know where Techno is. But if you find out, I’d love to know. It’s been so long since I’ve seen him.” 

Alex sauntered over to stand before him, “I told you not to play dumb with me.” 

Philza had never heard him like this before. Alex’s voice was laced with something deeper, a tone of a man that sounded familiar, though he couldn’t quite place it. 

“And I told you I don’t know where he is,” Philza said as calmly as he could. 

Alex laughed again, his changed voice echoing throughout the house. He backed away from Philza and began to walk circles around the room, flipping through cabinets and digging through drawers. 

Shit! Philza thought to himself, clenching his teeth. If Alex kept looking he would definitely find what he was searching for. 

“You know,” Alex began, shoveling through a box that sat on the dining table, “I don’t know why you ever kept in contact with him. He’s a tyrant, Phil, a traitor of L’Manburg.”

Alex looked back at Philza knowingly. 

“I can’t believe you can dismiss what he’s done so easily. He slaughtered our people and destroyed our city. He betrayed our trust. And he betrayed you,” he continued. 

“Techno would never betray me,” Philza said, chest heaving as Alex ran his fingers over the small chest sitting by the stairs, “He would never betray family.” 

Alex flipped open the chest and reached his hand into it, fingers wrapping around something small. Philza closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. 

“But you’re not family, are you?” Alex pulled a shiny, golden compass from the chest, “Not really.”


	3. II

Tommy could finally feel his body completely, though a slight tingling still rang through his fingers. The fire had just about gone out, only a slight warmth still about it. Tommy knew he had to move fast from here on out as the snow was thick and he was still severely underdressed. He blamed Dream for not allowing him anything more than what he came to Logstedshire with. 

Quickly, he ducked out of the cave and began his trek down the mountain. Almost instantly, the cold hit him again. It was evening by now and Tommy would have to find a place to lie low for the night, though he wanted to keep moving until he reached Techno’s cabin, sleep be damned. 

The path downward was much easier than the climb up, but there was hardly any light as the sun began to set, causing his footing to be even less sure than before. He had no way to make a torch or light a fire for the night, so his only option was to keep moving. He never intended to stop. 

Before he knew it, the foot of the mountain was only a few steps away and the path going forward was flat. Tommy cheered to himself, quietly, out of fear of the night-roaming monsters overhearing him. He drew his knife from its sheath nonetheless, prepared to fight for his life should he need to. 

A wind picked up from within the forest, the blistering cold brushing over his cheeks. From within the wood, a clinking and cracking could be heard. Tommy needed to step into that ominous darkness, needed to face the beasts hidden within the woods if he ever hoped of reaching his brother. 

Tommy gulped and set off. The sounds of spiders clicking their pincers echoed from the treetops. The rattling of skeleton bones rang from behind him. The growl of the undead drifted to his ears. No matter what, he stuck to the path. 

Then there were footsteps. 

Not the dragging of the undead or the marching of the skeletons, but real, human footsteps. Tommy lept from the path and ducked into the woods, climbing up a tree a small ways ahead. 

The flash of a green tunic appeared along the path and Tommy slapped a hand over his mouth. His breathing was all the sudden too loud and his legs began to shake from underneath him. He tried to take a deep breath but only caused himself to cough. 

He shut his eyes then, terrified, and pressed his back into the trunk of the tree. Tommy could feel the eyes of the wanderer peer in his direction. He could feel them burning through the forest until Tommy was cornered, forced to give himself up and return to solidarity. 

He opened his eyes and his worst fear came true. It was Dream that stood on the path, white mask turned in Tommy’s direction. The panic that rose in his chest boiled over the now foreign thoughts of running to Dream and begging for forgiveness. Dream was no longer his friend, no longer someone to be trusted. With his growing anger, Tommy convinced himself that Dream was his enemy. 

Dream held his nightmare of an axe in his hand and took a step in Tommy’s direction. 

“Who’s there?” His voice boomed. 

The sound of his footsteps in the snow were even louder than before. 

“Tommy?” Dream said, “Is that you?”

Dream was looking for him. He must have been the one who set up camp in the mountains. Dream was going to find him if he didn’t do something, but he was no match for the man and had no hope of outrunning him. 

“Tommy if you’re out there I can help you,” Dream preached, “You’ve done a bad thing, but I can take you back where you belong. I’ll never leave you.” 

Dream would never leave Tommy. It was Tommy that left, Tommy that deserved punishment for what he’d done. Dream may have destroyed Logstedshire, his last hope, but he’d find something else to take. 

But Dream wasn’t a friend anymore. He wasn’t someone to feel guilt at betraying. Tommy would betray him a thousand times over if he didn’t already know that Dream was always one step ahead. 

“Tommy-” Dream tried again, but an arrow whizzed past his face, barely missing, and lodged itself into a tree just in front of Tommy. 

Dream whipped around, swinging his axe, and confronted the skeleton that’d attacked him. As he charged back into the darkness, Tommy took his chance to jump from his tree and run ahead. He never lost sight of the path, only ran alongside it. 

The screeching of skeletons could be heard from behind him and it seemed like Dream was in a bigger fight than anticipated. Tommy didn’t stop to celebrate his narrow escape, but silently thanked whatever force had allowed him to continue on his journey. 

When his legs began to hurt from running and he thought he couldn’t go on anymore, he plopped into the snow and allowed himself to catch his breath. He shook with a combination of the cold and the lingering fear that Dream would sneak up behind him and drag him back to Logstedshire. 

A growl sounded from in front of him. Slowly lifting his head, Tommy was confronted with a singular undead weaving its way toward him. He was so unbearably tired and wanted nothing more than to close his eyes, but he got up and held his knife in front of him. 

He could carefully circle around the beast and be on his way, but the undead was faster than he was ready for and leapt at him with a speed he’d never seen before. Tommy was pinned to the ground before he realized what had happened and the undead snapped its teeth at his neck. 

Tommy flung his knife between the undead’s jaw and pushed, cutting up into its head. It screeched and stumbled backwards, allowing Tommy to scramble to his feet and lunge forward, digging his knife into the beast’s throat. 

It brought a hand down on Tommy, scraping its nails into his skin, leaving three red marks along his arm. Tommy let out a whine, desperate to keep quiet, and plunged his knife into the undead’s brain, cutting a line across its forehead. 

The undead fell to the ground, dead, but Tommy knew he couldn’t rest. He continued running on his weary legs, cradling his weary arm. Dream was behind him and he could feel it, but Techno’s cabin couldn’t be much farther. Tommy could swear he could see the lights signalling his destination just up ahead. 

His eyes weren’t playing tricks on him. Techno’s cabin was there, just past the treeline, sitting atop its base of stone. Tommy let out a cry, tears brimming his eyes, and threw himself at the door to the lower level. 

Flinging the doors open, Tommy tumbled inside. The room was lined with chests sure to be packed with weapons and supplies and food, but he couldn’t think of any of that now. He could only think of Techno. 

Tommy clung to the ladder leading upstairs and clambered up it, overjoyed at the idea of seeing Techno’s face after so long, but when he made it to the main floor Techno wasn’t there. The only sound was the bubbling of brewing potions from the alchemy table in the corner of the room. 

Letting out a hoarse laugh of disbelief, Tommy sank to the floor and curled up by the wall, tucking his legs into his chest. His eyes watched the unmoving door, wanting nothing more than to see them open. 

. . . 

The rope which bound Techno’s hands was beginning to rub away at his skin. Alex was tugging too hard. The disbelief that he’d let himself be taken by the L’Manburgian butcher was prying at his brain. Techno was disappointed in himself and the only way to settle his anger was to fuel his bloodlust. He longed to see Alex dead, sliced open, and strung up for L’Manburg to witness. Damn him for being cunning enough to twist his body into that of his adoptive father. 

They’d set foot into L’Manburg about half an hour ago and Alex was supposedly leading Techno to the courthouse. Techno wasn’t stupid, though, and even if it had been some time since he’d last seen the city, he could remember clearly where everything was. The road they were on did not lead to the courthouse. 

“Where the hell are we going?” Techno piped up. 

Alex flashed him a crooked smile, one that seemed very out of place on his face. 

“Aren’t we going to the courthouse?” Techno asked. 

“Oh, no,” Alex said, “Sorry. I lied. You’re not having a trial.”

Techno tugged back on his restraints and Alex turned to face him. With every moment he spent with the butcher, Techno could feel the violent voices in his head grow louder. Every inch of his body screamed to lash out and take him down. It was the small piece of sanity still remaining in his head that kept him grounded and logical. 

“What?” Techno spit, “What do you mean I’m not having a trial?”

“Your crimes speak for themselves. There’s no need to question them,” Alex explained, “You’re headed straight to execution.” 

Techno grunted and let himself be pulled forward. The White Manor lay before them and the style of execution was clear. He was to be crushed by an anvil; a strange choice, but one that didn’t seem out of place for Alex. 

As Techno was strung up to the contraption where he would lay his life, he saw the people begin to pour into the square. The faces of his former comrades looked upon him with varying expressions of disgust. 

Of course, Techno didn’t blame them. He had summoned the demonic creatures which murdered the people in the square that fateful day; watched as the bodies fell and the few remaining warriors turned the withers to dust; laughed at what he believed was the end of tyranny. Disappointment was all he felt at the sight of the square rebuilt better than before. Red was all he could see when L’Manburg’s chosen leader stepped into the square, suit pressed fine and smooth, hair sitting flat and perfect. 

Damn Tubbo, that traitorous fiend. He was the one who promised to help Techno and the exiled boys find their way back into society. He promised and all that came of it was the re-exile of whom Techno thought was Tubbo’s closest companion. 

Techno only helped L’Manburg take down its past dictator so his home could see the end of corrupt government. Tubbo had taken the throne back as though he’d learned nothing. 

When their eyes finally met, Techno scowled and spit at the ground. 

Alex, after conversing with Tubbo underneath the stage, walked the steps up to the lever which demanded Techno’s fall. He held tight onto the handle and waited while Tubbo followed, taking his place before Techno at the helm of the stage. A hush washed over the people. 

“We’ve gathered today to celebrate the inevitable end of a traitor to this great city!” Tubbo began, young voice still riddled with insecurities. 

A low growl sounded from the crowd. Techno looked at each of them, burning their frowns into his memory. He didn’t want to die. He never wanted to die. There was so much he had to do before he could consider himself satisfied. L’Manburg was his home and he needed to see it come into a righteous state. 

“This is the man responsible for the fall of L’Manburg all those months ago,” Tubbo said, “and he’s here to pay for those crimes.”

Tubbo moved away so the crowd’s view wasn’t obstructed. 

He was wrong, though. At least, he was partially wrong. All Techno did was see that the withers were summoned and brought destruction to the city. Wilbur was the one truly responsible for L’Manburg’s fall. The explosion was all his doing. 

Techno didn’t want to watch Alex pull the lever, so instead focused his eyes on whoever he first spotted in the crowd. There was movement. A shoving of people as a man in a green hat pushed to the front. 

Phil. 

Techno’s eyes widened. Phil held a trident- Techno’s trident- in his sure grip. Their eyes locked for a second and in that time Techno saw his life flash before his eyes. Every moment Phil refused to leave his side. Every moment Phil fed him and ensured a warm bed at night. Every moment Phil pestered him to get along with his so-called brothers. 

The trident left Phil’s hand and soared over the audience, slicing through the air with an unmistakable grace. It cut through the lever with such an astounding beauty that Alex gave a squawk before falling backwards and off the stage, landing on his back in the dirt. 

Phil gave Techno a fierce look before running off down the road. He was followed by a line of armored men all wielding glowing swords. Techno snapped out of his trance and turned to Tubbo, who stood shocked at the edge of the stage. The crowd was dispersing in a rage of confusion. 

“Tubbo, you pig!” Techno cried, “Let me out.”

Tubbo turned to him slowly, but didn’t utter a sound. 

“Do you want to see Tommy again? Huh? Do you?” Techno pleaded. 

Tubbo’s eyes glazed over with something unsaid. 

“Let me go, Tubbo,” Techno said, “and I’ll bring you Tommy.” 

Tubbo hesitantly moved forward, clouded by what Techno assumed was guilt. He and Tommy were always close. If a bribe could get him off this stage, then a bribe was what he would offer. The trident made its way into Tubbo’s hand and the ropes which bound Techno’s wrists were finally cut to the floor. 

“You’ll bring Tommy back?” Tubbo whispered, barely audible over the commotion below. His fear and inexperience was prominent in his voice. 

“Yeah, I’ll bring Tommy back,” Techno said through his teeth. 

In a flash, he was gone, flying from the stage with fervor. Alex was still in the streets somewhere, brushing himself off, and Techno wanted to be far away before he could get up. 

Techno had no intentions of stealing Tommy from his exile and delivering him to the hands of L’Manburg’s ruler. For starters, there was Dream to get past and Techno may have been crazy, but he didn’t have a death wish. On top of that, Phil would never forgive him if he handed Tommy over like cargo. Techno didn’t care much for the trust of other people, but Phil was someone he couldn’t let down. 

Running through the alleyways of a now enraged L’Manburg, Techno aimed to make it to the sewers. They were the best way to sneak out. He found an entrance close by and hurried down the ladder. Sneaking along the walkways, he took every twist and turn imaginable, the layout of the sewers branded into the back of his eyes. 

The control room was ahead. He remembered its placement just along the outside of the city. Once he passed through the remnants of it, he would be able to get outside the walls. From there, he knew his way home. He would grab his valuable belongings and find somewhere else to lay low. Then he’d plot his revenge. 

Techno passed by the control room without sparing a glance to the row of old chests lining the walls. 

“I was wondering where you’d run off to,” came a voice from behind him. 

Techno turned around to face the man. Alex ran his fingers across the blade of his cleaver. 

“I won’t let you leave here alive,” Alex said, raising an eyebrow. 

“I’d like to see you try,” Techno smirked. 

Alex launched himself forward, cleaver swung back. He was never much of a fighter, but with the way he was swinging himself around Techno couldn’t underestimate him. Techno rolled past Alex as the cleaver flew down into the cement. 

One of the chests was left open, the name carved behind it all but scraped away. A pickaxe lay in it, rusted and dirty, but Techno didn’t have any other option. He grabbed the pickaxe from the chest and flung it back just in time to block Alex’s blow. 

Alex was pushing down hard, cleaver just centimeters from Techno’s face. Techno wrapped his free hand around the hilt of the pickaxe and pushed back, sending Alex backwards. He swung the pickaxe down, aiming for Alex’s side, but the butcher jumped out of the way in the nick of time. 

“You,” Alex sounded deranged as he lifted his cleaver in the air, bringing it down on Techno’s shoulder. 

Techno managed to hook his pickaxe into the side of the cleaver and push it away. 

“You bring disarray to every land you step on,” Alex said, “This city needs organization and power.”

There was no arguing Techno’s chaotic habits, but he couldn’t stand for his home to be run by the evil clutches of government. He lifted his pickaxe and sliced through the air, desperate to lodge it into Alex’s chest. The voices in his head were screaming now. Screaming for blood.

“I don’t care how long it takes me or what I have to do to get you,” Alex cut through Techno’s coat, slicing a shallow line into his side, “I’m going to fucking kill you.”

Alex stood back for a moment and a light flashed across his face from a hole in the ceiling of the sewers. The look in his eyes was not his own. This longing for blood was something Techno would never have associated with Alex. 

Alex’s craving for violence, for mayhem, for utter disorder was something that reminded him only of Dream. And of the long dead leader of L’Manburg Alex pledged himself to so willingly before feelings of uncertainty set in. 

“I’m going to kill you, Techno,” Alex said. 

Techno let out a harsh laugh and swiped his hand across the blood leaking from his side, “You think you’re enough to kill me?”

“Let’s find out, you son of a bitch,” Alex charged at him, pointing the end of his cleaver at Techno’s heart. 

Techno leapt to the side and circled around Alex, running a long slice through his back. Alex cried out and swiped his blade in Techno’s direction. The blood dripping to the floor satisfied the voices harmonizing in his head. He was given a bit of clarity and in that moment parried Alex’s attack. Techno kicked Alex hard in the chest, sending him flailing to the floor in the rivers of his own blood. 

“I have this pickaxe and I’ll put it through your teeth,” Techno snarled, planting one foot on Alex’s chest. 

Alex looked up at him with fearful eyes, the eyes of a man on his last breath, as Techno lodged his pickaxe between Alex’s teeth and flicked it up, carving away a chunk of Alex’s lips. 

Alex writhed on the floor, clawing at his contorted face, blood spewing from his mouth. Tears streamed down his face, pain overtaking the bloodlust in his eyes. 

“You bitch!” Alex cried. 

Techno stepped back out of the control room.

“You and I aren’t so different anymore, are we?” he said mostly to himself as he couldn’t be heard over Alex’s screams. 

Alex clambered to his arms and legs, watching the blood pool beneath him, “You’ll pay for this. I’ll destroy everything you love.”

Techno could only watch him struggle. 

“I’ll start with Tommy,” Alex chuckled, coughing up the blood in his mouth, “Yeah, Tommy. I’ll make you watch him die. Then I’ll kill Phil. No, no. I won’t kill Phil. I’ll have you betray Phil! How does that sound?”

Alex was rambling, though Techno was sure he meant what he was saying. He left him there, crying out his revenge plans in the bloody control room, and ran to the sewer exit. Clutching his still bleeding side, he clambered up onto the earth. His home awaited him and for the whole way back, Alex’s screams began to mingle with the voices in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was super fun to write and I seriously enjoy Techno's character. I hope you enjoyed and I'll post the next chapter in a week!


	4. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was fun~ hope you enjoy!

“Tommy.”

A voice came from the darkness surrounding him. Wilbur was there like he always was. This time he had a blue sheep, something he named ‘Friend’. The three of them were prancing about in the woods, celebrating Tommy’s narrow escape. 

“Tommy.”

The voice came again. It wasn’t Wilbur’s. Tommy stopped in his tracks to stare out into the woods. Dream must have found him. Dream must be there in the dark looking back at him, knowing that he could leap out and drag Tommy back into the darkness with him. 

“Tommy!”

Tommy jolted and woke with a start, the chill mountain air blowing in through the open door. He was in Techno’s cabin, he remembered. And now he was staring Techno dead in the eyes. 

Letting out an embarrassing squeak, Tommy skidded backwards, trying to put some distance between the two of them, only for his back to hit the wall he’d curled to sleep against. 

Tommy brought his hands over his eyes. He should have known Techno wouldn’t be happy to see him. Techno was a madman and Tommy had nothing to defend himself save for a blunt knife. 

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” Tommy chanted, too scared to peek between his fingers. 

Techno let out a loud sigh and plopped down to the floor with him. Tommy stuttered and slowly brought his hands away from his face. Techno looked tired. He was rubbing the palm of his hand against his forehead as if he was trying to will something away. Pain perhaps. Or maybe voices. Tommy recalled hearing Techno tell Phil about voices once before. 

“You’re bleeding,” Techno said, pointing to the three thin lines running down Tommy’s arm. He’d forgotten all about his flight from Dream and his fight with the undead. 

“So are you,” Tommy said, noticing the bloodstains on Techno’s shirt. 

Techno dabbed his hand over his wound. It came away dry, but the blood painting the left half of his shirt made for no excuses. 

“I’ll be fine,” Techno said, standing. 

A hand reached down for Tommy and he accepted the invitation, standing on shaky legs. Techno stared deep into his soul then, eyes bloodshot with lack of sleep and loss of blood. Nonetheless, he was beyond intimidating. Tommy could only think of one person that would be able to bring Techno down. 

“So,” Techno finally broke eye contact and settled to the back of the room where he dug through multiple chests in search of a plethora of items. “Why are you here?” he questioned, flicking his eyes back to Tommy. 

Tommy thought for a moment of how best to explain to Techno his whole thought process of wanting to leave Logstedshire. Was he bored of it? Did he want to get back to family? Or did he desperately want to see Dream crumble as he continued his habit of refusing to give in?

“You’re supposed to be exiled,” Techno said, “I could hand you back to Dream if I wanted.”

“No, please!” Tommy belted, rushing to Techno’s side, “Anything but that.”

“Then why is it that the first thing I see when I come home is you asleep on my floor?” Techno’s tone was sharp. 

Tommy let it out, “I left.” 

“You,” Techno pondered Tommy’s words for a moment, “left? Just like that?”

“Yeah.”

“And you thought it was a good idea to come here?” 

“Well-”

“Tommy, I’m not in a good spot right now. This place isn’t safe anymore and I can’t hide you or take care of you. I have to leave. If you want to stay here and get caught, fine by me, but I’m leaving,” Techno said, punctuating each of his thoughts with an item being tucked into the pouch on his belt. 

Tommy watched in confusion as Techno crossed the room to his alchemy table and grabbed a handful of potions collecting at the corner. He scraped a few into his hands and downed another, which promptly made him grunt as the blood caking his side began to evaporate. 

“This was the only place I could go,” Tommy said. 

“It’s not an option anymore,” Techno murmured. 

“Techno,” Tommy tried. 

His brother was occupied with his collection of concoctions. 

“Techno,” Tommy said again, moving in closer. 

Techno chugged another potion and slumped forward, gripping his side. All the potions he was holding previously fell to the floor, multiple cracking open and sliding over the wooden floors. 

“You know how Dream is, Techno!” Tommy screamed, desperate for Techno to turn around, “He’s a liar and a manipulator and all he ever wanted was to have me out of the picture.”

Techno hesitated and slipped his hands from the table, returning his weight to his feet. 

“Dream wants to see this world fall into his hands and he’ll do anything to see that through,” Tommy explained, “If you think L’Manburg has succumbed to tyranny now then just you wait. When Dream finally gets what he wants L’Manburg will never be the same.”

Techno’s shoulders were stiff and Tommy could see his hands curl into fists, shaking with all the rage pent up over years of watching their home crumble.

“First it was a monarchy. Then it was Schlatt. Now they’ve dragged Tubbo into it,” Tommy said, voice hushed, “Dream will surely be next.” 

“No one dragged Tubbo into taking power,” Techno shook and whipped around, “You handed it to him! You ignored our endless efforts to bring Schlatt down and then handed Tubbo leadership as if our fight meant nothing!” 

“I know,” Tommy said. 

Techno heaved, breath heavy as it warmed the frigid air, “What?”

“I know what I did,” Tommy sighed, “And I regret it. Deeply.” 

“Regret isn’t going to change what happened.”

“But sitting around in Logstedshire while Dream breathes down my neck isn’t going to fix things,” Tommy raised his voice, finding some of his confidence, “I’ll never forgive Tubbo for handing me over to Dream the way he did after I thought we would be able to fix things together.” 

Techno scoffed, “You’ll never forgive Tubbo?”

“No.”

“You know he tried to have me executed?”

Tommy’s eyes grew dark. Tubbo had already betrayed him once when he sent him off into exile with Dream, never hesitating or considering their lifelong friendship in his decision. It was instantaneous. It was unimaginable. It was cruel. 

Now he’s tried to kill his brother. Tommy and Techno might not have been related by blood, but there was a pulse that the two shared and Tubbo knew of it. Tommy had divulged everything to him. He’d trusted him. To betray him twice was more than enough for Tommy to make up his mind about how he felt toward his old friend. 

“He’ll pay for it,” Tommy said, “Dearly.”

A smile slowly spread across Techno’s lips. He tossed a potion to Tommy, one that he’d been drinking, and went to close the doors. As Tommy was chugging down the foul tasting potion that caused the scrapes on his arm to morph and disappear, Techno gave a gasp from the front of the room. 

“Tommy, hide,” Techno said, slamming the doors shut and pushing Tommy into an old, molding box by the alchemy table. 

“What?” Tommy choked on the rest of the potion, “What’s wrong?”

Techno didn’t answer, but his eyes gave hints of panic, so Tommy obliged. He ducked into the box and let Techno close the lid over his head. He was engulfed into darkness once more, his only relief being a hole barely big enough to peer out of. 

“Don’t make a sound,” Techno hissed. 

A knock sounded from the doors and Tommy slapped his hand over his mouth to quiet his breathing. Techno lugged himself back to the doors after scanning the room for any trace of what Tommy assumed was his own presence. 

From behind the doors emerged a flash of green and the horrifying slate of white which danced through Tommy’s head like a broken record. Tommy shut his eyes tight and tried to focus on breathing, tried to recollect himself. Dream didn’t know he was here. He could only suspect. 

Techno cleared his throat, “Dream. How nice of you to stop by.”

“No need for formalities, Techno,” Dream’s cold voice sounded. 

Tommy dared himself to open his eyes and caught sight of Dream waltzing into Techno’s cabin. His white mask moved back and forth, whatever eyes hiding behind it clearly taking in every detail of the room. 

“What do you need?” Techno said bluntly, shutting the door. 

“It seems,” Dream paused, cocking his head as a visible shudder ran through his shoulders, “in my short absence from Logstedshire, I’ve let something leave my sight. I’m looking for it.”

Techno didn’t move, “You’re talking about Tommy, aren’t you?”

Dream turned to face Techno, though for a moment Tommy swore Dream’s masked face crossed his curious eye, “I am.”

“You let Tommy escape?” Techno pushed. 

Dream gave a chortle, a sick sounding laugh, one that was forced and threatening and angry all at once, “I was naive.”

Tommy could see Techno’s voice get caught in his throat. He supposed even Techno was scared of Dream. He couldn’t blame him. 

“I thought Tommy would stay put like I told him. I thought I’d calmed him down enough to actually heed my words,” Dream shook his head, “I was wrong. He left the moment I took my eyes off him.” 

“Why are you telling me about this?” Techno asked. 

“You and Tommy were raised together, yes?” Dream asked. 

Techno gave a hesitant nod. 

“I have reason to believe he would seek you out. Have you seen him, Techno?” 

Tommy saw the gleam of Dream’s bloodied axe swinging from his belt. Dream knew he was here. He had to know. How stupid was Tommy to immediately return to his family? That was too obvious. It was too sensitive of him. Tommy shut his eyes once more and cursed himself in his head. He cursed himself for endangering Techno. He cursed himself for endangering Phil. He cursed himself for not being able to save Wilbur. 

“No,” Techno spoke, “I haven’t seen him. I’ll keep an eye out though. I’m sure you’re right behind him.” 

Dream hummed, “You’re sure?”

“Yes,” Techno swallowed. 

Dream sighed and left the cabin without speaking another word. The slam of the door was deafening in the silence that filled the cabin in the minutes following Dream’s leave. Techno didn’t say a word and didn’t move an inch. Tommy still held his hand over his mouth and attempted to glue his eyes shut. 

After an eternity of Tommy listing off each of his regrets, Techno strolled to the window and let out a breath, “He’s gone, Tommy.” 

Tommy clambered from the box, shoving the top aside, and fell to the floor, gasping for air. He was hyperventilating. Nothing was reaching his lungs. He clawed at his throat, desperate to feel oxygen grace his esophagus. He was trying to speak, but no words formed. 

Techno squatted down next to him and lay an indecisive hand on his shoulder. Tommy could feel it shaking and twitching with every movement. They hadn’t touched since childhood. 

“He’s gone, Tommy,” Techno repeated, voice unsure, “You’re safe.” 

The feeling of Techno’s hand running across his shoulders brought a warmth he hadn’t felt in a long time. He felt the smiles of his brothers rush back to him and the proud chuckle of his father ring in his ears. Tommy didn’t want to cry in front of Techno, especially since their relationship was as rocky as the mountains encircling them. 

“Breathe,” Techno said.

Tommy swallowed his fears and tried to focus. Slowly, the air returned to his lungs and he sat back, head falling onto the overturned box behind him. Techno stood and offered to help him up once again. 

“He really fucked you up, didn’t he?” 

Letting out a half-hearted laugh, Tommy said, “You don’t have to tell me that.”

. . . 

Night had fallen over L’Manburg and after refusing to leave the stage in the square for the entire day, compass held tightly in his hands, Tubbo began to realize that sweat was uncomfortably seeping through his suit. He looked down at the compass that pointed to Tommy’s location, begging it to bring him closer. The needle had shifted slightly some time ago, but refused to move since. 

“Techno said he’d bring Tommy home,” Tubbo assured himself, “Techno promised.” 

Did Techno promise? Tubbo wasn’t sure. He’d most likely twisted the words around in his head so many times that they’d become something entirely different. Tubbo shook his head. This always happened. He always morphed his surroundings in his mind so they came out to be the way he wanted, even if they never would be. 

He swore to himself that he’d try to fix that. He made a mental note of things he needed to fix and listed that as the first. Though perhaps Tommy deserved the top spot. Or L’Manburg. Tubbo had promised Tommy they would fix L’Manburg together. That was impossible now. 

A whooshing sounded from a short ways away and Tubbo dragged his gaze away from his compass to watch Dream step from the Nether Portal sitting by the White Manor. Tubbo pocketed the compass, cleared his head, and straightened his shoulders. 

“Dream,” he welcomed with a small bow of his head. 

“I have something to show you,” Dream said. 

Tubbo tried to hold in a sound of surprise, but failed, a squeak passing through his lips. He cleared his throat. 

“What’s that?” he muttered. 

“Follow me,” Dream turned back to the portal, expecting Tubbo to accompany him. 

Tubbo did as he was told. He trailed after Dream as they journeyed through the fiery Nether world, finding their way to the next portal. Tubbo began to realize how tired he was, but tried to keep his mind running as to force it awake. 

They stepped through the second portal and onto the beach. Tubbo recognized the place in an instant. 

“Logstedshire?” he gaped. 

Dream hummed. 

“Are we visiting Tommy?” Tubbo was trying to conceal his excitement, though his voice betrayed him. It always did. 

“More or less,” Dream replied. 

Tubbo was led across the beach and through the ominous sight that was a destroyed Logstedshire. His footsteps stuttered upon seeing the tents ripped to shreds, chests overturned, and the singular record player smashed into thousands of tiny pieces. Up ahead, where Tommy’s hut lie, Tubbo could make out something thin swaying in the wind from high up in the trees. 

“Dream?” Tubbo hated how feeble he sounded. 

Dream didn’t stop until they’d reached the hut and the tower of a tree that stood next to it. Tubbo’s legs were shaking as he noticed chunks of Tommy’s hut were blown out. Dream tapped his shoulder and pointed up at the tree. From the highest branch Tubbo could see it. 

His eyes widened to the point that they nearly bulged from his sockets and the most humiliating of noises breached his throat. 

“Surely not,” Tubbo whimpered. 

The rope swung back and forth and back and forth until the vision became a loop burned into Tubbo’s skull. He could imagine Tommy’s body attached, lifeless and weightless, dancing through the night sky. 

“I cut his body down and buried it over there,” Dream said, not a hint of remorse in his voice, “I’m sorry, Tubbo. I should have watched over him more carefully.” 

Tubbo wanted to say something. He wanted to blame Dream for not being by Tommy’s side, for not caring for him more. In the end, the only person Tubbo could blame was himself. He was the one to exile Tommy. He was the one to betray his closest friend. He was the one to break his promise.

And Tommy had paid for it with his life.


	5. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay with this chapter! I decided to change my upload date from Friday to Sunday, so you can expect updates every Sunday at 3pm est now! Hope you enjoy!

Techno had decided it was best to wait out the night so they didn’t accidentally run into Dream on their way back to L’Manburg. For hours they discussed the nature of their situations and Tommy was shocked to hear of Alex’s bloodthirsty behavior. He remembered a time when they’d fought together under the shared goal of taking Schlatt down. It sounded to him that Alex was beginning to take on a mind much like that of his old comrade. 

“He’ll be after me,” Techno said, taking a bite of the poorly cooked chicken they were too impatient to let cook thoroughly. 

Tommy didn’t speak. He was too busy shoving chicken down his throat. It’d been so long since he last had any proper food. If he could call undercooked chicken ‘proper’. 

Techno swallowed, “He’ll be after you, too. He told me so.”

“What do you mean?” Tommy asked with his mouth full. 

Techno scrunched his face in disgust, “After I carved a chunk out of his face he threatened you and Phil.”

Tommy choked, “Phil?”

With a hum, Techno focused his attention back on his food. Tommy couldn’t tell what was running through his head. He never could. Did he even care about what happened to Phil or was he only telling him that as a warning? Tommy suppressed a grunt and placed his half eaten chicken back on his plate. 

“So what do we do?” Tommy asked. 

“We go back to L’Manburg,” Techno said, “And we take down Tubbo.” 

“What?” Tommy scoffed. He thought there were more pressing issues than L’Manburg’s government. 

“Listen,” Techno sighed, “If you’re going to pester me and follow me wherever I go then you’re going to do as I say.”

Tommy was fine with that. He didn’t owe L’Manburg anything. The idea of taking down Tubbo and possibly killing him was not something Tommy was fond of, but once they made it to L’Manburg, he would leave Techno to his own devices and make sure Phil was safe. He’d already made sure Techno was okay, whatever his brother threw himself into was out of Tommy’s hands. 

“Yeah, alright,” Tommy nodded. 

Techno peered up at him, lost in thought. Those deep, dark eyes never stopped thinking. 

“Does Niki still sympathize with you?” Techno asked. 

“She might,” Tommy told him, “I’m not sure.” 

Techno nodded, a sign that the pieces of his fast-forming plan were falling together, “She’ll be our in.” 

Niki was too good a person to be used as a mere pawn for getting into the city and Tommy felt a pang of guilt at the notion. She was such a big help when he was stranded in the forests outside L’Manburg, Wilbur by his side as they snuck around the walls. She was always on his side. He didn’t want to put her in more danger than she already was. 

The plan was set as Techno refused to consider another way in that didn’t involve Niki hiding them and helping them around. Tommy knew the whole city by heart and tried to insist that they could hide in the sewers on their own. Techno didn’t listen to him. He’d made up his mind and Tommy couldn’t get through the voices running rampant in his brother’s head.

Techno threw a misplaced cloak at Tommy, who promptly wrapped himself up in the red velvet fabric. He was led up the ladder into a sorry state of a bedroom and handed a patchwork blanket. 

“Sleep on the floor,” Techno said. 

Tommy wanted to complain, but he figured that the floor was a much better alternative to the damp dirt he’d slept on almost every night since running away. He laid down and tugged his cloak over his shoulders, trying to make sense of how he felt about seeing his brother again while simultaneously drowning out the intensity of it all. 

. . . 

Alex gripped the sides of the cracked, rusty mirror which beamed his mangled reflection back at him. He smiled at himself and the slit in his lips widened. Scowling, Alex ran his fingers over the wound and began to morph his skin into its original state. He couldn’t stand the sight of his teeth peeking through his lips any longer. He tossed the cracked glass away and it shattered into thousands of tiny pieces as it landed in the hard earth. 

Tubbo was missing. The sun had risen since the previous day’s failed execution and L’Manburg’s leader had disappeared by the time Alex found his way back to the stage, half alive and profusely bleeding from his mouth. Now he was waiting. Waiting for someone to show up and give him something to do. 

You need to get rid of Techno, the voice inside him said, I’m disappointed that you let him win. 

Alex frowned. He hadn’t let Techno win. Techno beat him. There was very little surprise at the fact. Techno was a skilled fighter with a heart of pure rage that fueled him. Rage was nearly invincible. Perhaps Alex needed to find some rage of his own to fight with. 

Are you fighting for the good of L’Manburg? the voice asked. 

“Yes,” Alex assured himself, “What else am I to fight for?”

L’Manburg turned on me you know, the voice said. 

“I’m not stupid, Schlatt,” Alex laughed, “I turned on you, too. Quit crying about it.” 

Disappointing, the voice said. 

“I’m fighting for L’Manburg because I wanted to see it fall from your hands,” Alex growled. 

You wanted? 

Alex didn’t reply, but laid a hand over his stomach where his second heart lay.

“Who are you talking to?” 

Alex turned around to face the new voice prodding at him. Dream was there, fresh from the Nether, Tubbo trailing behind him. Alex scrunched his face at the obvious residue of tears painting Tubbo’s cheeks. The boy looked beyond distraught. His eyes were bloodshot and aimless. His shoulders were stiff and his hands were shaking as they stroked the compass between his thumbs. 

“Myself,” Alex answered, watching as Tubbo shuffled his feet back to the manor. 

Dream hummed, “I need you to do something.”

“What’s that?” Alex turned his gaze to Dream. 

Dream didn’t spare a glance at Tubbo behind him and joined Alex at his perch on the stage. Though Alex couldn’t see his eyes, Dream appeared to be looking out over L’Manburg. 

Alex had always been curious about Dream. No one knew who he really was, much less what he looked like. No one knew his motives or why he lingered over L’Manburg like he owned it. Alex figured that he’d never really know, though there was no harm in digging. 

“Tubbo just witnessed the aftermath of Tommy’s suicide,” Dream started. 

Alex couldn’t help but be shocked. In his time of knowing Tommy, he would never have predicted this. Sure, Dream was essentially keeping him captive and convincing him that none of his former comrades cared for his outcome, but to kill himself was unexpected. 

“At least, that’s what I need Tubbo to believe,” Dream continued. 

“Ah,” Alex said. 

“I need Tommy out of the picture,” Dream brought a hand to Alex’s shoulder, “and I want you to do it.” 

Alex laughed, “You can’t do that yourself?”

“I could, but I’m busy.” 

“You? Busy?” Alex scoffed, “With what?”

Dream turned his blank mask to Alex and tightened his grip, “You’ll see.”

Alex squinted, trying to analyze Dream’s every movement. 

“Tommy will be heading this way with Techno. I’m sure you can meet them by the gate.” 

With that, Dream left. He turned from the stage and walked down the path leading into the heart of L’Manburg. Alex could only watch as the flash of green faded from his sight. 

He’s distracting you from Techno, the voice was back. 

“Is he that important?” Alex asked. 

You don’t want revenge? the voice pestered. 

“I told Techno I’d kill Tommy,” Alex said, digging underneath his bloody fingernails, “so this works out perfectly.”

Yes, the voice hissed, perfectly. 

A pain erupted from his stomach and a blinding flash of white crossed Alex’s vision. He doubled over and fell to his knees, clawing at his stomach with a fierce desperation. Knots and twists formed in the depth of his body and in his struggle his face morphed back to its true form; mangled and hideous. 

“Schlatt, stop,” Alex pleaded. 

A laugh bubbled from the back of his mind and rang through his head. As Alex curled further into himself, an ache formed in his forehead. The skin there stretched and deformed until two small horns broke through flesh, pushing his beanie further back on his head. 

As the pain slowly died down and the laughter settled into a soft buzzing, Alex felt atop his head for the horns that now resided there. Panic rose in his throat. He tried to shift them away, hating that a cry to the world that Schaltt resided in his body was now visible. The horns didn’t disappear, though. Alex tried to will them to flatten against his head and melt into his scalp, but they stayed put. 

His lips had morphed back together which proved his abilities weren’t gone. Alex figured the horns were a part of Schlatt more than they were a part of him.


	6. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where things start to take a turn from canon. And by take a turn, I mean they go off the road. From here on out, the story will be pretty much entirely non-canon, though there might be some references to it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy because I've been having a lot of fun writing this!

It’d stopped snowing about an hour ago and the mountain terrain had slowly turned into dirt. Tommy was elated at the feeling of warmth returning to his skin. The cloak Techno had given him only did so much to protect his bare arms. 

They pushed through the woods at an astounding rate. Noon had hardly passed and Tommy was sure sunset would only begin to creep up as they made it to L’Manburg’s borders. There was an entrance to the sewers just outside the walls at the east side. The sewers ran throughout the entirety of the city and they could make their way to the clump of houses where Niki resided with no problem. 

Techno took the lead. Tommy didn’t think he’d have it any other way. He brushed past bushes and low-hanging branches with ease, carving the pickaxe he dubbed ‘Toothpick’ through any minor inconvenience in his path. The two of them didn’t converse much during their travel and Tommy preferred it that way. He couldn’t imagine Techno would have anything important to say to him anyway. 

After walking non-stop since dawn, Tommy was beginning to grow hungry and his growling stomach was getting louder by the minute. Techno seemed to hear. He twitched every time Tommy’s stomach made a noise. 

“Let’s stop for a moment,” Techno finally sighed. 

“Sorry,” Tommy said. 

They sat under the shade of a tree and ate a collection of fruit from Techno’s slim food reserves. 

“What do we do,” Tommy braved, “once we get to Niki?”

Techno talked through his incessant chewing, “She’ll give us a place to lay low. I’m not a fan of staying in the sewers and we can’t bother Phil. He’s in a much worse situation than Niki.”

“So we just stay with her until we get what we want?” Tommy asked. 

“No. She’ll lead us to the people we need to take down. I’ll have her request an audience with Tubbo. Then we can take him captive.”

“Captive?” Tommy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. What good could come from taking L’Manburg’s leader hostage?

“If we have the upper hand, we can request what we want,” Techno explained, “Then I’ll make sure all forms of government come to a halt.”

Tommy wanted to oppose, but knew better. He reminded himself that he’d leave Techno to do as he pleased. He could leave in the night after they made it to Niki’s and search for Phil. He wasn’t sure what he’d do from there, but getting as far away from Dream was the first thing that sprang to mind. 

They set out again. The sun began to set and the woods began to thin. The stone walls of L’Manburg were just ahead of them. They approached the walls and the stone slab indicating the sewer entrance. 

“I’ll go in first,” Techno said, bending down to lift the sewer door. 

Tommy went to follow after him when a voice piped up from a distance away. 

“Tommy?”

Both Tommy and Techno stood up in an instant, Techno drawing his pickaxe from his belt. Tommy faced a boy in a finely pressed suit, brown hair tousled and awry. 

“Tubbo,” Tommy whispered. 

Hesitantly, Tubbo approached them, eyes flickering from Tommy to Techno to Techno’s pickaxe. The last time Tommy had seen Tubbo was months ago. He remembered the moment Tubbo stepped from Nether portal, eyes revealing his guilt and fear. Tommy wanted to scream. He wanted to remind Tubbo of all the ways he betrayed his trust, but Tubbo was on him in an instant, hands gripping the sides of Tommy’s arms with an unnatural force. Techno stepped forward, lifting his pickaxe. 

“Tommy, you’ve got to leave. You’ve got to run away,” Tubbo sounded frantic. 

Tommy tried to question him but only a squeak left his mouth. 

“Dream,” Tubbo huffed, “Dream knows you’re coming. You’ve got to go!”

As Tubbo’s hands dropped to his sides, Tommy noticed from beneath his hair a set of small horns. 

“Tubbo,” Tommy said, “You have horns.”

Tubbo frowned and in an instant dug his hand into his jacket. Tommy gasped as the cleaver cut through the air. Techno was quick and shoved Tommy aside, swinging his pickaxe up to meet the cleaver. Tubbo grunted and Techno kicked him back with all the force in his body. 

Tommy yanked his knife from its sheath and stood at a standstill next to Techno. Tubbo gave an evil laugh from where he sat hunched on the ground. His hair began to change from brown to black, his frame widened slightly. The horns on his head were more prominent than before. 

“Alex?” Tommy gasped. 

Alex stood. 

“Get to the sewers,” Techno said sternly. 

Tommy was frozen to the spot. How did Alex know they were here? Did Dream really tell him? Then that meant Dream knew Tommy was at Techno’s cabin during the time he visited. 

“Tommy!” Techo yelled, but Alex was already charging forward. 

His cleaver swung down and Tommy brought his knife up to counter the attack. The amount of force Alex put into his swing was overpowering, though, and it sent Tommy toppling to the ground. Techno was on him in an instant, swiping his pickaxe into Alex’s side. He only got away with a scrape. Tommy scrambled to his feet and fled to the sewer door, but Alex flung his cleaver in his direction, nearly sticking it into Tommy’s leg. 

“Go!” Techno said, jumping onto Alex and bringing his pickaxe to his neck. 

Tommy didn’t hesitate in heaving the door open and jumping down, ignoring the ladder. He landed in the grimy water, swallowing a bit before flailing to the surface and climbing onto the walkway. From above, he could hear Techno yelp followed by a scuffling. 

Before he could reach the ladder and attempt to help his brother, Techno leapt down. The look in his eyes told Tommy to run and with Alex surely on their heels, Tommy didn’t fail to sprint down the walkway. He had to find a cranny they could dip into so they could lose Alex. 

Tommy turned the corner up ahead and then another before he noticed the wide crack in the wall. He ducked into it and waited for Techno to turn into the path. When he reached the crack, Tommy shot his hand out and pulled Techno in with him, pushing back as far as he could so they would both fit. 

It worked. Alex ran past, hollering something unintelligible, and continued down the sewers. 

After waiting for a few minutes, Tommy braved speech, “I’ve never seen him do that.”

“Do what?” Techno whispered back. 

“Shapeshift,” Tommy said, “I knew he could do it, but I’ve never seen it.”

They waited a while longer until the sounds of the sewer were no longer intimidating, then cautiously headed down the walkway to where Tommy recalled as being close to where Niki lived. The fresh air was liberating after hiding in the musty crevices of the sewers. Tommy almost laughed in celebration, but the sun was still out and people might hear him. 

Then it hit him. He was back in L’Manburg. After months of slaving away under Dream’s orders in a remote town he was the lone citizen of, he was back home. Sure, L’Manburg was now riddled with the most unpleasant memories, but standing on its soil gave Tommy the impulse to pick up his feet and run to Phil’s house. He wanted to throw his arms around him and bask in his warmth. He wanted to eat dinner around his table and fall asleep on his couch. He wanted his childhood back. It was the sound of Techno coming up behind him that snapped him out of his trance. 

“Welcome home, Theseus,” Techno said. 

Tommy smiled in remembrance of the brand Techno had given him during their fight for L’Manburg. The name might be associated with Techno’s betrayal, but Tommy didn’t mind it so much now. It made him feel like a hero. 

They snuck through the roads, lucky no one was out around this side of the city, and finally made their way up to the porch of Niki’s modest hut. Techno knocked on the door. 

“Hello?” Niki asked as he opened the door, cutting herself off with a loud gasp. 

Tommy tried to reply, but she dutifully scooped the both of them into her house and shut the door, making sure to lock it behind them. She fiddled with the top lock for a good while, hands shaking. Her breaths were louds and her distress became obvious.

“Niki,” Techno started. 

“What are you doing here?” Niki turned to face them. 

Tommy and Techno shared a glance, but neither of them knew where to begin. 

“Techno,” Niki’s breaths continued to quicken, “you’re wanted. Everyone knows the location of your cabin now and Dream just announced a city-wide manhunt under Tubbo’s jurisdiction. Dream wants you alive.”

Techno looked like he wanted to speak, but couldn’t. 

“And Tommy,” Niki looked as though she wanted to cry, “Tubbo declared you dead.” 

“Dead?” Tommy stuttered. 

He recalled the night he planned to cease his life. Climbing up the tallest tree in Logstedshire with a noose in his hand. He recalled the dream that made him relive it. Tubbo must have seen it. The noose. 

Niki took a deep breath in, an attempt to collect herself, and ushered Techno and Tommy to the table where she then gave them each a glass of water. Tommy thanked her but didn’t take a sip, only ran his fingers across the cup in front of him. 

“So why did you come?” Niki finally asked. 

Techno didn’t speak. Perhaps the guilt was finally catching up with him. 

“Well, Techno and I came up with a plan,” Tommy said, but trailed off. He wasn’t sure how to break to her that they’d come to do exactly what planted them in a war previously. 

“A plan?” Niki dropped her fists on the table. 

Tommy looked to Techno for help. Techno stood. 

“Look, Niki,” he began, “this is about more than just us.” Techno motioned to Tommy and then to himself. 

Niki dropped her head and a sigh wracked her shoulders, “Oh.” 

“The world has not been kind to us,” Techno explained, “L’Manburg has not been kind to us. And we seek our revenge. You have to understand, Niki. I know you understand.” 

“You’re so narrow minded,” she said in a hushed voice. 

“What was that?” Techno said. 

“You don’t care for the rest of us. You don’t care what happens to L’Manburg. You just want to see your vision come to fruition.”

“Precisely,” Techno said. 

“Tubbo isn’t a bad person!” Niki cried, “He isn’t even remotely like Schlatt.”

“What did Schlatt do, Niki?” Techno’s rage was boiling, “He cast my brothers out because he saw them as a threat. And when Tubbo rose to power what did he do?”

Niki grew silent, eyes watery. 

“What did he do?” Techno demanded. 

“Techno,” Niki looked as though she was on the verge of crying. 

“He exiled the only brother I have left! He threw him out and left him under the watch of the one man who has power over us all. He threw him out like he was nothing.”

Tommy stood and tried to give Techno a slight push as a warning, but it had no power. Techno never referred to Tommy or Wilbur as his brothers. He was stubborn and even though they’d been raised in the same house by the same man, he never once put any emotion behind the notion that they were related by something stronger than blood. 

“Nothing ever changes,” Techno finished. 

Niki nodded and blinked her eyes a few times, trying to wash her tears away. A few thin trails betrayed her and dripped down her cheeks. 

“Okay,” she said, “okay.”

“Help us,” Techno pleaded, though his voice gave way to more of a commanding tone. 

Niki finally built the courage to look the two of them in the eye. Her gaze was determined, a complete flip from her mood before. She pointed them to the bedroom and laid out some blankets for them to get comfortable on. The sun had finally set. 

“You must be tired,” Niki said, “Get some rest and I’ll hear your plan in the morning.” 

As she wiped her nose from her once incessant sniffling, Tommy said, “Thank you.” 

He and Techno could do no more than crawl into their blankets and wait for sleep to grace them. Tommy tried desperately to fight the drowsiness swimming over his eyes, but after so long of forcing his eyelids to stay open so he could slip out in the middle of the night, sleep besieged him. 

. . . 

Eret had been summoned to L’Manburg as though he was cattle to be rounded. He was king of the land- of all the land- and Dream had called him to a short meeting despite that. Dream could have come to him and requested an audience, but instead wrote a quaint letter demanding he come to him. He’d excused the inconvenience with his busy nature. 

Dream stood before him now in the extravagant entrance hall of the White Manor, sitting on the steps, lazing about. Eret scoffed and adjusted his crown. This was nothing more than a reminder that Dream had power over him. 

“Eret!” he called, “Ah- your Majesty, I mean.” 

Dream stood and gave a dramatic bow. Eret tilted his head in return. A simple acknowledgement was all he deserved. 

“What is it that’s so urgent you needed me to travel all the way here?” Eret asked, straightening his shoulders into a kingly posture. 

“I’ve been wondering something,” Dream told him, drawing closer, “It’s been bugging me, if I’m honest.” 

“What’s that?” Eret didn’t move. He let Dream come to him now. 

Dream stopped before him only inches away, “Have you met with Halo recently?”

Eret flinched, though he tried to keep his reaction as minimal as possible. He had seen Halo recently. Halo had come to him with a need to share his secret. He was jittery and scattered, but seemed trustworthy. 

“There’s no need to lie to me,” Dream said. 

“I did,” Eret complied, “He requested an audience not too long ago.” 

“What did he tell you?” 

Eret swallowed. He was sure Dream already knew what they’d talked about. He didn’t want to say it, though. Looking sternly into the spot in Dream’s mask where his eyes should be, Eret crossed his arms and hoped there would be no need to share Halo’s secret. 

Dream sighed, “I see. He told you about the blood vines.” 

“I don’t see why this concerns you.”

“You don’t?”

Eret cocked his head, “No. I don’t.”

“Ah,” Dream gave a chuckle, “Excellent. Halo knows how to keep his mouth shut. Mostly.” 

“Are you sure about that?” Eret said. Halo had come to him with information valuable enough to cause Dream to summon him. 

Dream shoved his hand under Eret’s chin, forcing him back a few steps. His grip tightened and Eret couldn’t hold back a grunt. 

“Halo knows to keep the most dangerous information to himself. He knows the consequences that follow it,” Dream hissed, “But should he forget his place and divulge to you, it would be in your best interest to keep your mouth shut and turn him away.” 

Dream spat his words with venom that almost made the idea of disobedience foolish. Almost. Any man would give in to Dream’s word, but Eret detested him with a fiery passion. He was controlling and manipulative and Eret was too strong minded to succumb to such obvious tactics. 

“Is that all?” Eret brushed Dream’s hand aside. 

“Yes,” Dream said, “That is all.”

Eret straightened his crown and adjusted his robes, “Next time I advise coming to me for something so trivial. It’s a real inconvenience to have to travel all the way here just so you can threaten me.” 

Dream chuckled, but didn’t say anything. Certain their brief conversation had come to a close, Eret took his leave. He marched down the hall and barged out the doors where he reunited with his four guards. They proceeded to escort him back to the railway where he could settle down into a private room and drown himself in his rage towards Dream. 

As he passed through the streets, people seemed to crawl outdoors and oggle. It was rare that Eret graced L’Manburg with his presence. He couldn’t blame its citizens for wanting to steal a glance. 

The courier’s place was just ahead and that signalled the railway was only a little ways further. Eret practically roared in relief with the weight he felt leave his stiff shoulders. He spotted Niki just ahead, the sweet girl always seemed to consider everyone’s situations and for that he didn’t think he could ever forget her. She was speaking in a hushed voice with the courier, hands wrapped tight around a letter. 

“Niki,” Eret called. 

She turned and, upon seeing him, curtsied. In a flash, she straightened up and rushed to his side, excusing the courier. “Your Majesty, this is urgent,” she held out the letter. 

Eret took it from her hands and rolled it open. 

“I was hoping to send this to you,” she said, “I’m glad to catch you tonight.” 

Skimming over the contents of the letter, Eret realized why she seemed so stressed. Tommy and Techno were residing in her house with plans of attempting eradication of L’Manburg’s government. He remembered their first war for independence and how poorly it failed. 

“Please,” Niki said, “I don’t want any harm to come to them, but if Dream gets ahold of them I can’t even imagine what would happen.” 

“Are you insinuating that I take them under wing?” Eret asked. 

“Yes, please,” her gaze fell downwards as though she was ashamed. 

In the time Eret had known Niki he was sure that she didn’t want to do this. She was conflicted. Having to choose between helping people who trusted her and saving her city was something Eret felt she should never have had to be faced with. 

He nodded and rolled the letter back up. Taking her hands, he placed the letter back in her grasp. 

“Very well,” he said, “I admire your courage, Niki.”

“Thank you,” she smiled, voice soft. 

“Lead the way.”


	7. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's where things really start to pick up! I've decided to stick with my updates being on Sundays at 3pm est, so I hope you enjoy!

With a bang, the bedroom door slammed open. Tommy sat up with a start. From the corner of his eye he could see Techno clamber to his feet and reach for his pickaxe. Before Tommy could question what was happening and before Techno could get his fingers around his weapon, two sets of strong arms wrapped around Tommy and pinned him to the floor. Techno groaned and Tommy could make out the shape of his brother in the same position as him. 

Tommy’s hands were bound with rope and he was hauled to his feet. He made out the shape of the man standing in the doorway. King Eret. Tommy squinted his eyes. He couldn’t fathom how the king knew where they were hiding. 

“What the hell?” Techno said from behind him. 

Eret made a motion for the men to take his fresh captives out of the room. As Tommy passed by him their eyes met and he was sure the only emotion in his expression was utter confusion. 

Techno was struggling to escape what Tommy assumed were Eret’s guards as they were pushed out of Niki's house. She was waiting outside, twiddling her thumbs, gaze locked on the ground. Then he understood. 

“Why?” Tommy said. That was all he could muster. 

“Niki!” Techno bellowed. 

Niki looked into Techno’s eyes and that was the moment Techno’s face twisted in realization. Tommy had to turn away from the vile look in his eyes. 

“You,” Techno spit, “You ratted us out. You were supposed to be on our side!” 

Techno never stopped kicking and spitting while the guards dragged him off toward the railway. King Eret stayed behind for a bit to whisper something to Niki. Tommy couldn’t hear, but he saw Niki nod. As much as he wanted to join Techno in desperate struggling, he knew there was no point. If only he’d stayed awake, he would be at Phil’s right now, enjoying a warm cup of cocoa and staying up to exchange stories. 

The guards escorted them to the railway and by the time they’d made it to the platform there was a small audience awaiting them. Among them was Alex, who’d finally given up on searching for them. He approached King Eret with an annoyed expression. 

“You can’t take them,” he said. 

King Eret ignored him yet seemed slightly offended at Alex’s casual tone. Instead he joined the guards in ushering the carts along so Tommy and Techno would have a space to sit. 

“Eret!” Alex tried. 

“If you continue to speak to me like that I won’t spare you so much as a glance,” Eret said, eyes locked onto the work the guards carried out. 

Tommy watched as Techno was shoved into the first cart. The two guards accompanied him, hands wrapped tight around his arms. Techno’s struggling had calmed down, but he didn’t fail to spit a foul remark from time to time. 

As Tommy was being brought to his cart, he noticed the flash of green that joined Alex’s side. He stopped dead in his tracks, causing the guards holding him to stumble a bit. Just as Tommy thought the guards would push him ahead, King Eret extended a hand for them to halt. 

“What do you want now, Dream?” King Eret said, annoyed. 

Dream’s white mask was focused on Tommy and Tommy could feel his nonexistent gaze melting away his flesh. His legs began to tremble and the guards had to haul him up to keep him standing. 

“I see that you have Techno,” Dream said. 

Tommy’s mind swam with the memories of Dream’s disappointment. The only thing he could see was Dream’s hands ripping Lodstedshire to shreds. He could see Dream tear his friendships apart. Back and forth went Tommy’s mind as it danced between the idea of Dream’s displeasure and Tommy’s rage. 

“We have no agreement stating that I must hand over my prisoners,” King Eret sighed. 

“No, but Techno is currently wanted by the city of L’Manburg for treason,” Dream said. 

“And he will pay for such under my watch,” King Eret punctuated, turning his back to Dream and ordering his guards to continue loading Tommy into the cart. 

“Eret,” Dream said, gripping Alex’s shoulder, a funny sort of anger bubbling in him, “I need Techno.”

King Eret gave Dream one last look before saying, “No, Dream. You don’t need Techno. You want him. I apologize, but no matter your position, you can’t always get everything you desire.” 

Tommy was stunned. Never had he seen anyone stand up to Dream before. No one had the courage within them to insinuate insubordination. Not even Techno could muster up his boundless strength to challenge him. Yet King Eret stood unwavering before him while Dream’s grip on Alex tightened visibly, causing him to flinch. 

Dream was being challenged. To Tommy that was an indication of unquestionable change. 

King Eret boarded a separate cart with the remainder of his guard. As they took off toward what could only be the castle, Tommy caught a glimpse of Dream bending down to Alex’s ear. From what Tommy could see, it looked like the horns on Alex’s head had grown since their encounter outside the walls. 

. . . 

The blood vines tangled across their enclosing of obsidian. They’d grown considerably since Halo checked on them yesterday morning. He recalled their original state, curling around the egg they originated from, stray vines swaying from the obsidian ceiling. Now the vines grew in every direction, scattered across the space until barely any obsidian was visible. 

By this point in his self-inflicted quest to keep watch over the blood vines, Halo was practically living in the church some ways from the castle. It was a convenient distance from both King Eret and the blood vines’ location in the Badlands. Every night he slept under the protection of the church’s holy water, convincing himself that he could feel the blood vines’ sin being washed from him. 

Halo shook at the sight of the vines’ growth. They were living and with the size they’d grown to, their slight movements along the obsidian was more clear. He knew, of course, how to rid the world of the blood vines’ curse and had wanted to do so for countless years, but he had no means of obtaining the blue fire which was destined to light the world ablaze. 

Sliding down the obsidian wall, Halo cradled his head in his gloved hands, “Oh, forgive me. Forgive me.” He talked only to himself nowadays. 

He had to tell King Eret. That was the only person Halo trusted with this information. He’d told the king of their existence not long ago, but he needed to take action. Surely, King Eret would help. 

Halo was sure now. He jumped to his feet and swore to himself that he would show King Eret the blood vines’ lair. He would entrust him with the secret of the blue fire and he would bring proof of the vines’ threat. 

Producing a knife and handkerchief from his jacket, he cut the end off of one of the vines and quickly wrapped it in the cloth. In such a small form, Halo was sure it could only do the least amount of harm. This was an underestimation, though, as the moment the vine came in contact with Halo’s gloved fingers, he could feel the voices of the egg prodding at his mind. He’d been swayed by the egg once before when he first became its guardian, learning of its mysterious competence in hypnotism. 

Halo knew he had to move fast.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've also decided to start a twitter account where I might talk a bit more about my plans for this series. If you're interested it's @Stella_Grayy


	8. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this chapter a bit off schedule because I'm going to be away from my computer for a bit when I'm supposed to post. That aside, I finally figured out how many total chapters this work will have! I have four chapters left to write and then I'll be starting on the next part. Thank you guys for reading and I hope you enjoy!

With his hands still bound, Tommy was pushed to his knees in front of the throne King Eret sat upon. Techno sat beside him, brow taught in anger. He’d been so close to achieving his goal, Tommy knew, but he couldn’t help but feel a relief flush through him at the thought of Tubbo safely sitting in the White Manor. Tommy knew he shouldn’t feel that way, but he did. No matter how upset he was with Tubbo, their friendship was thick and unforgettable. 

The throne room grew silent as King Eret cleared his throat. Tommy was still in awe at the king’s bravery when contronting Dream. No one had turned him down before. He wondered what could have happened between the two of them to warrant King Eret’s confidence. 

“As king of the land,” Eret began, looking down upon Tommy and Techno, “it is my responsibility to oversee that my domains achieve peace.”

Techno scoffed. 

“Tommy and Techno, your attempts at disrupting L’Manburg’s peace will not be taken lightly,” King Eret said. 

“What peace?” Techno spat. 

Tommy tried to get Techno to keep quiet and listen for once, but Techno ignored him. 

“L’Manburg isn’t at peace,” Techno said. 

King Eret raised an eyebrow, “And what gives you that assumption.” 

“Are you giving me permission to speak?” Techno seemed amused. 

“I am.”

With a flick of his hand, King Eret had the guards raise Techno to his feet. Tommy could see how this would give more authority and power to Techno’s voice. He couldn’t fathom why the king would do such a thing. 

“L’Manburg was last at war only four months ago,” Techno started, “With that battle came the utter ruin of the city square. While rebuilt, the square was the jewel of the city and a place every citizen had once walked. It was a symbol of the city itself and every single person residing in it. The destruction of that square was a representation of the devastation L’Manburg faced.”

“You’re saying?” King Eret questioned, thumb stroking his chin. 

“L’Manburg is in a constant state of civil disrupt. It will continue to fall and rebuild and fall and rebuild until there is nothing left of it. Every single dispute that led to violence was caused by a distaste of leadership. By the end of Schlatt’s reign, there was no man left in the city that supported him. Not even his own second-in-command.” 

“So the leadership is to blame for L’Manburg’s distress?” King Eret said, “What would that have to do with you?”

“I was raised in L’Manburg,” Techno said, “As much as I despise it now, it’s my home. It’s torture to have to watch its government tear the city apart. I want to fix that. L’Manburg doesn’t need a government at all.” 

King Eret nodded, genuinely considering Techno’s words. He ordered Tommy to stand. 

“Tommy?” 

Caught unawares, Tommy stuttered, “Yes?”

“Do you agree?”

Tommy considered this. He hadn’t given much thought to Techno’s ideology. For as long as he could remember, he was simply trying to stay alive. Government or no government, he would still be hunted by Dream. Curious, really, that Dream was the center of all his problems. He couldn’t remember what he did to Dream that warranted such a reaction. 

Thinking of Dream put L’Manburg’s situation in perspective. Tubbo was the leader of the city. He was the one who made the laws. In reality, though, it was Dream calling the shots. It was always Dream. 

“I think there’s a clear power imbalance,” Tommy said, “I think that despite the government, there are people in this world who hold more power. I think that makes the government quite useless, really.” 

King Eret nodded again, consuming Tommy’s words. He stood from his throne and walked the steps down to meet them until the space between them was enough to be considered personal. 

“You both make interesting points,” he said, “and while I have to disagree with the notion of abolishing all forms of government, there is truth to what you say.” 

Both Tommy and Techno lifted their heads in surprise. 

“You’re right, Techno. L’Manburg has never seen true peace,” King Eret smiled softly, “And you’re right, Tommy. Dream has control he doesn’t deserve.” 

Tommy was correct in his assumptions, then. The king and Dream were at some sort of standoff. There was no way King Eret could win, though. Dream would beat him to a pulp at the very moment there was no audience to denounce him. 

“Why did you save us from him?” Tommy asked. 

“I have no intentions of locking you up,” Eret said, “You’re both too valuable for that. But I know something Dream doesn’t want me knowing. And I’m going to need all the help I can get if I want to come out of this alive.” 

Mind spinning, Tommy had a million things he wanted to ask. What is it King Eret knew? What was so important that caused a confrontation with Dream? What was so important that it made King Eret not want to give up? 

Before Tommy could get a single word out of his mouth, the throne room doors were slammed open and a figure clothed in black ran straight into the arms of the king. Pushing Tommy and Techno aside, he took off rambling despite his exhaustion, a glint of deep, black skin and long, straight horns catching Tommy’s eye. 

“I don’t know what to do about it! The obsidian should keep it contained- set it free- but I’m not sure how reliable it is. It looks like it could break at any moment- it yearns for the day. Please, your majesty, I must get rid of it!” 

The man kept on mumbling and interrupting himself with the most odd contradictions. 

“Halo,” King Eret tried, “Calm yourself. I will help.”

The man didn’t stop. Tommy felt helpless. He couldn’t think of anything that would get the man speaking at a normal human pace. Eret grabbed the man’s shoulders and shook him slightly, which caused something to fall from inside his jacket and plop onto the ground with a horrible splat sound. 

King Eret looked down at the thing, wrapped poorly in cloth. Tommy could hardly make out its shape, but Eret roared suddenly, “Get back!” 

While Eret wrapped his arms around Halo and tugged him far from the mysterious object, the guards holding Tommy and Techno flung them backwards so they both landed on the floor. 

The sudden commotion finally calmed the man named Halo who then looked down at the subject of their horror and gasped. 

“Oh,” he said, “Oh, your majesty, I’m terribly sorry.”

King Eret laid a hand on Halo’s shoulder and sighed, “It’s fine.”

“I thought it would be okay if I hurried, but I suppose the obsidian really does keep it contained,” Halo was spewing nonsense. 

“What the hell is he talking about?” Techno piped up. 

Both the king and Halo looked their way. Halo’s eyes met Tommy and he gaped. The silence that ensued didn’t bring the disconnect of Halo’s gaze and Tommy grew uncomfortable with the sight of his horrifyingly white eyes. 

“Um,” Tommy said, “Hi.”

Halo skirted around the object lying in the middle of the floor and crossed over to Tommy. The guards made movements of objection, but King Eret gave some sort of signal that sent them away, leaving the room empty of any security. 

When Halo made it to him, he reached a hand out and hesitantly touched Tommy’s cheek. He jumped back as though he’d been burned, then realized he hadn’t and gave a confused look. If Halo was confused, Tommy was at a loss. 

“What are you doing?” Tommy said, “Am I supposed to know you?”

“I suppose not,” Halo examined his hand, “I suppose not.” 

A silence followed where Halo continued to study his hand and Tommy stood stunned, unable to move. King Eret joined them, following Halo’s example of walking around the object in the middle of the room. 

“Can one of you please explain what’s happening?” Techno tried again, this time sounding more furious than irritated. 

Halo ignored Techno once more, “You’re him. I know you are.”

Tommy guessed the words were directed at him, but still had no clue what he was insinuating, “Who are you talking about.”

“You,” Halo finally looked up from his hand, “You’re the boy from the blue fire.”

Tommy couldn’t help but laugh. His amusement made Halo’s expression turn sour and somewhat hurt, but he had never in all his life heard of blue fire. Halo’s accusation only made the past few weeks feel like a fever dream. First he was exiled by his best friend, then he was manipulated by Dream. He dared to escape and fell into his brother’s hands, and now a crazed man was on about something made up.

“This isn’t a joke, boy,” Halo said. 

At being called ‘boy’, Tommy halted his hysterics. 

“You can laugh all you want, but I hope you know the fate of this whole world lies on you,” Halo said. 

Techno stirred from beside Tommy and waltzed up to Halo, kicking him in the shins and sending him flailing to the floor. Halo gave a moan and frantically rubbed his hands over his injured leg. 

“Will you shut up?” he growled, “You’re not being helpful.” 

Turning to King Eret, Techno looked for a proper response. The king looked between them all with an expression that revealed his amusement at their odd situation. He gave a quick glance at the object in the middle of the room. 

“I told you that I know something Dream doesn’t like me knowing,” King Eret slapped a hand down on Halo’s shoulder, causing him to jump, “Halo is the one who trusted me with the information and Dream’s scared that he’ll reveal more.” 

Tommy was intrigued. “So you’re saying,” he pondered, “of all the people in the world, Dream only fears one person.”

Techno seemed to catch on, gaze trapped on Halo’s nervous face. The man currently twiddling his thumbs who’d stormed into the throne room and thrown himself over the king in a craze was the one person who held any chance of taking down Dream. 

“I was trying to tell you,” Halo coughed, “the only person Dream really fears is this boy.” 

Halo pointed at Tommy. This was the third time he’d accused Tommy of something absurd. He was the boy from the blue fire. He held the fate of the world on his shoulders. He was the one person Dream truly feared. 

“I saw you walk from the fire with my own eyes,” Halo said, “You have to stop Dream.”

. . . 

Niki hadn’t left the railway platform since Tommy and Techno were taken away. The longer she stood, the more vivid the vision of them being piled into the carts became. While the guilt was all but consuming her, she felt she’d made the right decision. She brought a shaky hand up to her chest, wanting desperately to calm her aching heart. 

By the time she finally decided it was time to return home, the sun was beginning to rise and she was joined by a figure in a flowing robe. He tipped his hat and stepped up to her side. It was Philza. 

“Phil,” Niki greeted. She didn’t know how to break to him that she was responsible for his adopted sons’ capture. 

“I heard what happened,” Philza said, “I didn’t even know they were in the city.”

He sounded conflicted and Niki didn’t know how best to soothe him, so merely said, “I thought Alex put you under house arrest.” 

“He did,” Phil said, joining Niki in staring off into the horizon, “but I had to come. I feel lighter being where they were. If you know what I mean.”

Niki nodded, not knowing how to reply. She wrapped her arms around her body and squeezed. 

“I was so close to them and didn’t do a damn thing,” he said. 

“Phil, it’s not your fault,” Niki’s voice cracked, “You didn’t know they were here.” 

“How did they get caught?”

Niki swallowed hard. She couldn’t lie to him. She didn’t think she could lie to anyone, but Phil was such a caring man who only had good intentions. He was, as far as she knew, a good father who took in the most unlikely children. It was unfortunate what situations had overcome each of them and Niki didn’t know if she could break to him that she was the one responsible for his remaining children’s current condition. 

She remembered the day she first met the brothers. They didn’t get along well, she recalled, but they all clung to Phil like he was their lifeline. Which, technically, he was. Niki had just moved to L’Manburg and her mother insisted on introducing themselves to as many people as possible. 

At that time, Wilbur was just gracing his teenage years while Tommy and Techno still sported the round cheeks of childhood. Niki was barely older than Tommy. She hadn’t particularly gotten along with them as they tended to stick to themselves, but Phil was always kind to her and constantly offered help. 

She couldn’t tell him. But she had to. 

“It was me,” she whispered. 

If he didn’t hear her, she wouldn’t repeat it. 

“What?” Phil’s voice instantly dropped its soft edge as sparks flew from his lips. 

Niki closed her eyes and awaited the barrage of rage that awaited her. She deserved it. 

“You what?” Phil demanded. 

Niki only nodded. While she wanted to apologize, she couldn’t manage the words. Philza grabbed her and gave her a rough shove. She managed to steady herself and snapped her eyes up to catch Phil’s livid gaze. 

“They trusted you, Niki! I know it,” he yelled, “I trusted you, too.”

“They were going to hurt Tubbo,” Niki tried to explain. 

“They’re my sons, Niki,” with the way Phil was shouting, Niki was sure the whole city could hear him, “I thought you were someone my family could count on and you just handed them in.”

“I’m sorry, Phil,” she finally managed. 

“I hope you are.”


	9. VIII

Tommy and Techno’s hands were still bound, but it was only King Eret that guarded them now, pulling their ropes along as they followed Halo through the Badlands. The thing he’d brought to the castle was revealed to be a piece of blood vine, whatever that was. Tommy was clueless to the situation, but King Eret and Halo talked in hushed voices about its nature. After some conversation about brainwashing, Tommy tuned them out and opted for staring at his shoes instead, waiting for some sort of decision to be made. 

Halo had tucked the vine back into his jacket and set off, leading them out of the castle and demanding they stay a good distance behind him. Tommy had no choice but to follow and while both he and Techno weren’t content with their positions, they complied anyway. 

From in front of them, Halo was fidgeting. He flung his hands out at random and tripped over his feet incessantly. As they travelled in the high grasses, the sound of Halo’s nervous voice carried through the air. There were moments where he stopped to look around, chattering to himself. King Eret would yell out to him and he’d snap out of it before continuing on his way. 

Night fell by the time they arrived at the large obsidian block which sat at the end of the Badlands. 

“What is that?” Techno said at a loss for words. 

Halo held out his hand to signify they shouldn’t get close. Halo adjusted the pocket where he kept the blood vine and motioned for the king to let Tommy forward. 

“I know Halo may not seem so right in the head,” King Eret told him, “but he’s got a good heart. You can trust him.”

Tommy had had enough of trust. He’d been stabbed in the back one too many times to go around giving his trust to wacko strangers. When Tommy took too long to step forward, King Eret gave him a nudge. He huffed and made his way toward Halo after giving Techno a confused glance. 

“Why am I the only one going in?” Tommy asked. 

“You’re the only one not affected by it,” Halo answered, taking hold of Tommy’s ropes. 

With that, Halo ushered Tommy to a well-hidden trap door which marked the entrance. He pushed away the net of grass and leaves and they passed through an underground tunnel. All the while, Halo continued to whisper to himself something unintelligible. It was damp and hot. Tommy felt sweat begin to drip down the back of his neck. 

Then they graced the obsidian room. Instantly, Tommy was overwhelmed in a mass of red vines like the one Halo held. The vines were immense and curled around each other as they tried to maximize their prison, tumbling over one another. They were alive. 

Tommy noticed that the vines refused to touch the obsidian walls and looked to be writhing in the places where they touched the floor. He traced them back to their source and found that they spawned from a pearly egg perched atop a swirled vine. While the egg showed signs of once being pristine, the top was scorched black and ugly. 

“What the hell is all this?” Tommy muttered as Halo chucked the blood vine he was holding out into the mass. 

“The blood vines,” Halo said, twitching. 

“What am I meant to do with them?”

Halo turned to face Tommy, white eyes an echo of Dream, “Destroy them.”

Tommy looked out at the vines. He figured it wouldn’t be difficult to cut them, so asked, “Can I borrow a knife or something?”

Halo tipped his head, “What?” 

“Well I can’t really do anything about this if my hands are tied and I don’t have a means of chopping them up,” Tommy said, “I don’t understand why you can’t just do it yourself.”

Jamming his hand into his jacket pocket, Halo whipped out a knife and stormed over to one of the vines. He raised his knife in the air and brought it down in one swipe, cutting clean through the end of the vine. Tommy watched as the severed piece squirmed about on the floor, refusing to die. After a while, the end of the vine grew back. 

“You can’t just cut them up,” Halo explained, “The only thing that will kill them is blue fire.”

Tommy was getting frustrated, “You keep talking about this blue fire, but I have no clue what it is.”

“Stop lying to me!” Halo was raising his voice now, the shyness in his tone giving way to anger.

“I’m not lying to you,” Tommy tried desperately to stay as calm as he could, “You’ve brought me here and told me nothing but nonsense. What is blue fire and what does it have to do with me? Just tell me!”

Halo tightened his fingers around his knife, “You mean you really don’t know?”

“No.”

Halo stood in silence, eyes blinking rapidly as if Tommy’s blunt response rendered him speechless. Behind those white eyes, Tommy could tell there was a world of confusion running circles in his head. 

“But it’s you,” Halo whispered, “I know it’s you. I would never forget your face.”

Tommy only looked back at him, not knowing how to respond. He’d never met this man before today, that much he was certain of. 

“It was years ago, sure,” Halo backed away to give Tommy some space, “I saw you step from the blue fire. I saw it wrap around you. You were wielding it.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tommy said. 

“Why don’t you remember?”

Tommy shrugged. Halo was being serious about this blue fire stuff. Whatever it was, there was no way Halo was remembering it correctly. Tommy searched through the depths of his memories and while he couldn’t remember practically anything before Phil took him in as a child, he was certain he would recall something as strange as this. 

“I’ll make you remember,” Halo said, leading Tommy from the structure and back into the field, “You have to.”

. . . 

Ranboo tucked his knees up to his chest, wrapped his hands around his shins, and began a steady rocking back and forth, back and forth. His head was hurting. All day he’d struggled to remember what he’d done seconds before. 

From beside him, he picked up the object grounding him to reality: his memory book. He placed it by his feet and opened it, running his eyes over the words soaked into the pages. Flipping through the pages he read the things he chose to remember. He remembered first travelling to L’Manburg only a few weeks ago. He remembered meeting Dream. He remembered that horrid white mask. He remembered the plaguing feeling that there was nothing behind it. 

Shutting the book and tucking it under his arm, Ranboo finally stood. Ever since he met Dream, the man’s voice began to take form as his own consciousness. His slimy words were pure evil and Ranboo was certain his voice always lied. He had to get out. He needed some fresh air. His panic room was becoming too much of a strain on his constantly running thoughts. 

The time it took to travel to the heart of the world was lost to Ranboo. He couldn’t remember a single step he took. Yet there sat the Community House in all its glory: the oldest building in the area. It was a marker of the border between the palace’s lands and L’Manburg’s. A symbol of halfhearted peace. 

“Oh,” came the voice, “Ranboo.”

He was hearing it again. He thought the voice only came when he was in his panic room. The outside was meant to be safe. 

“Ranboo,” a hand was laid on his shoulder and he whipped around to face Dream. 

“You’re real?” Ranboo asked. 

Dream cocked his head and laughed, “Of course.”

Ranboo studied Dream’s mask. If he looked hard enough he would soon see him disappear. 

“Did you think I wasn’t?” Dream said. 

Ranboo shook his head. Dream was real. 

Seeing his hallucination take physical form made Ranboo start to shake. Dream was talking to him, he could tell, but the sounds didn’t seem to register in his ears. Slowly, his vision sank and the darkness took hold of him. His head was empty. The world in front of him was a void. 

Dream dumped something into his hands. Explosives. He didn’t say a word, just handed them over. It was like Dream knew what Ranboo would do. What did he need explosives for? 

Ranboo looked to the Community House. It sat like a pillar, strong and unmoving, a mocking representation of the unity of the land. What a waste of space. 

“What a waste of space,” Ranboo said. 

He clutched the explosives tighter. Ever since coming to L’Manburg he’d felt himself crumble. It was all the fault of the city. His memory was in shambles because the people of L’Manburg were constantly conflicted. Not a single soul Ranboo had met was confident in their perspective. Ranboo was tossed back and forth and back and forth from side to side as he desperately tried to find a place where he felt safe. 

And Dream. Dream only encouraged him to engage in such confusion. Dream was making him this way. 

The Community House was the start of it all. It was the place where hope began and the kingdom grew. It’s where the people split off into loyalty and rebellion. It was the one place Ranboo knew Dream frequented. 

It must be Dream’s weakness. 

Dream was as immortal as the land, but if the land’s symbol of prosperity were to disappear, Dream must disappear with it. 

Ranboo approached the building without hesitancy, leaving Dream to watch as he planted the explosives along the windows. Then he drew a match from the box in his suit pocket and lit the ends of each bundle. He stepped back and planted himself in the center of the walkway, an equal distance from the Community House and Dream. 

The Community House blew to pieces. The water it sat atop seeped through the broken window panes and swam through the cracks in the bricks. It was no more. Prosperity was no more. Unity was no more. Peace was no more. 

Dream was no more. 

Yet the sound of chuckling began to creep into Ranboo’s ears. From behind him, a pair of hands shook his shoulders. No. No, Dream was no more. He died with the Community House. He died with L’Manburg and he died with the kingdom. 

“Very impressive, Ranboo,” Dream said, for there was no mistaking his voice, “I don’t know how this will turn over with the people as they’ll definitely think I had a hand in this, but I’ll make sure to put a good word in with a colleague of mine.” 

“You are not real,” Ranboo said in an attempt to convince himself that his insanity wasn’t causing him to become evil. 

“Say that all you want,” Dream whispered in Ranboo’s ear, “but this will be the last time you lay eyes on L’Manburg.”

Ranboo looked down at the memory book he clung to so dearly. He’d blown up the Community House and Dream was still alive. There was no end to the conflict. All he’d done was continue the cycle of betrayal. 

“Here,” Ranboo stifled a sob. 

He faced Dream one last time and extended his hand in an offering. He didn’t want to remember this. He didn’t want to remember anything anymore. 

“Take it,” Ranboo shoved his memory book into Dream’s hands. 

“What a considerate gift,” Dream said. 

Ranboo woke the next day unsure of the time. He was enclosed by the walls of his panic room, curled up on the floor as usual. 

His memory book, he needed his memory book. His head was pounding and he couldn’t recall a single detail of the day before. Or the day before that. Or any day, really. The book sat in the middle of the room and Ranboo snatched it with great force. A voice that wasn’t his was starting to send whispers through the air. 

When he opened the book, Ranboo was faced with the ominous doodle of a smiley face tilted on its side. Nothing more remained. A number of pages were torn out. A smiley face was all Ranboo had left. 

Before he could allow the panic to drown him, a figure stepped into the space. It was a tall man with green hair that spoke to him: 

“For your crimes against the land, you are sentenced to live the short remainder of your days in solitude.”


End file.
